The present application relates to a power storage apparatus having a plurality of power storage elements housed in a case, to a connection apparatus that can be applied to the power storage apparatus, and to a power storage system, a motor-driven vehicle, an electronic device, and an electric power system that use electric power from the power storage apparatus.
In recent years, secondary batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, have found a wide range of applications in power storage apparatuses for storing electric power, automobile batteries, and the like, in combination with new energy systems, such as solar batteries and wind power generation. In order to generate large output, in a case where many power storage elements, for example, unit batteries (also called cells, in the following description, simply referred to as batteries as appropriate) are used, a configuration in which a plurality of power storage modules are connected in series with one another is adopted. A power storage module is formed such that a plurality of (for example, eight) batteries are connected in parallel and/or in series with one another, thereby constituting a battery block. Many battery blocks are housed in an exterior case, and thus, a power storage module (also called an assembled battery) is formed.
As an example, the output voltage of the single body of the power storage apparatus is set at several tens of Volts. A plurality of such power storage apparatuses are connected in series with one another, so that an output voltage of several hundreds of Volts is obtained. In particular, in a case where a high voltage is generated as described above, it is necessary that consideration is given to the prevention of electric shock. A configuration is described in, for example, PTL 1 below, in which, to prevent electric shock when a battery for an automobile is to be replaced, an isolating switch is turned off when a positioning pin is fitted into a hole when a spent battery is to be replaced. When the isolating switch is turned off, supply of electricity to the connection terminal of a connector is shut off, and thereby safety is ensured.